Lets get it out there. Who thought, "Impossible."
I do.
********* SOME DUMBY PUT A SPOILER ON PAGE TWO FOR TONIGHTS WOMENS 100 BACKSTROKE SO DON'T READ THIS THREAD ***
One hypothesis is that she saved more for the 100 free than others.
I think this explanation of why she swam the 400IM rather than the 400FR is the best one offered here: She could swim the first three strokes fast enough at loafing pace to keep up with the field. Then on the last 100 they were just hanging on while she still had plenty of energy. Maybe she would have needed to work harder to stay with the field in the 400FR, and would not have been able to hold the pace.
But this explanation just shifts the focus of my awe away from the last 100 and to the first 300. She could keep pace with that field even without putting out max effort! I can't say what accounts for her speed, but it sure is amazing.
One hypothesis is that she saved more for the 100 free than others.
I think this explanation of why she swam the 400IM rather than the 400FR is the best one offered here: She could swim the first three strokes fast enough at loafing pace to keep up with the field. Then on the last 100 they were just hanging on while she still had plenty of energy. Maybe she would have needed to work harder to stay with the field in the 400FR, and would not have been able to hold the pace.
But this explanation just shifts the focus of my awe away from the last 100 and to the first 300. She could keep pace with that field even without putting out max effort! I can't say what accounts for her speed, but it sure is amazing.
